Famous Last Words
by ThomasWalkman
Summary: A different perspective on chapter 37 of Anne of Green Gables: The Reaper whose Name is Death.


Disclaimer: This is strictly a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real people is coincidental. "Anne of Green Gables" is a trademark of the Anne of Green Gables Licensing Authority Inc. I'm making no money from this.

A/N: I suppose this isn't a very Christmas-y fic, but oh well. Anyway, this is just a quick little, canon-compliant one-shot that I promised readers of my other Anne fic, _What Didn't Happen_. Four sentences are lifted straight off from chapter 36 of Anne of Green Gables. Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays, everyone!

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Matthew stood on the porch and wondered at seeing himself draped across the floor. He saw his body there, but he could _feel_ himself standing right where he was. He heard Marilla telling Anne to run for Martin. A few moments later, Anne returned, and she and Marilla fussed over him.

He suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice beside him.

"Matthew Cuthbert," said the voice. A deep, manly one, but with a hint of _otherness_. "Is it time for you to go?"

"Well, now, I don't rightly know," said Matthew, chewing on his lower lip, wishing he had his pipe. Right now, he couldn't make heads or tails of what was going on, and he could always think better with his pipe. He looked at the apparition next to him. "Is it?"

He couldn't quite see the man's features, since his face was hidden in the shadows of the hood of a black cloak. The man was also holding a tall, recently-sharpened scythe. This surprised Matthew, since scythes weren't used very often in this modern day and age.

"Well, now, I don't rightly know either," mocked the man. Matthew remained silent, unsure of where this conversation was going. "Aren't you going to ask me who I am?" asked the man.

"I suppose so," Matthew said. More silence. After a few minutes, the man ran out of patience.

"I'm Death! The Grim Reaper! I am here to see whether you live or die."

Matthew looked into the distance and noticed the Barrys and Mrs. Lynde rushing towards Green Gables.

"Mister Cuthbert, this clock" – out of nowhere, there materialized a large clock, which stayed suspended in midair – "says that your time is up." Matthew was less surprised at the random appearance of the clock than at what was written on the clock.

Instead of numbers, there was written major events in Matthew's life – the time when his mother caught him at smoking, the beginning of a life-long habit; the death of his parents, when he realized he and Marilla would forever be a team; the arrival of Anne at Green Gables, the first true 'kindred spirit' he had ever met. And, written at the very top where the '12' would usually be, and where the hands of the clock were currently pointing, there instead was inscribed the word 'DEATH'.

"Then I guess my time is up," said Matthew rationally. He watched as Doctor Spencer declared him dead – cause: heart failure due to sudden shock – and this only confirmed his theory. Death, as he called himself, sighed in exasperation.

"Listen. You're supposed to bargain for your life. I usually refuse, but…you never know," said the Grim Reaper. He had no other source of entertainment, and was not about to be refused the only amusing part of his rather dreary job.

"Well, where am I going after I leave?"

Death flipped through a book (bearing the title "Final Destination") until he reached the "C's".

"Let's see…Cuthbert…Matthew…parents Abner and Agnes?" At Matthew's nod, Death continued. "Looks like you're heading to heaven, Matthew."

Matthew was okay with that.

He watched as Mr. Barry and Dr. Spencer loaded his body onto the hearse. He supposed that his body has to be moved to the funeral home to get it ready for the coffin, though it felt odd to watch his body be carried away. On the porch, Marilla was still kneeling, not bothering to control her tears. Anne, however, looked stoic, though Matthew could see that her eyes lacked their usual brightness. Her expressive face looked strange without expression.

"Can you tell me how Anne Shirley's life is going to go?" asked Matthew suddenly.

"That little red-headed girlie of yours? Can't tell you that for sure." Death watched as Matthew's face took on a frown. He decided to take pity on the good, simple man, since this Matthew person was obviously not going to provide any entertainment any time soon. "I suspect that she'll live a good, long, happy life," he said.

Matthew seemed a bit placated by this, but still the frown didn't disappear.

"Alright, what's the matter?" asked Death, ready to get this over with. He had another appointment in just a few minutes. "If you don't tell me that you want to go, you're going to stay a ghost for a good long while."

Matthew thought for a bit before he realized that a normal Anne, with her extremes of emotions, should have been crying and devastated by this. Instead, she just kept patting the crying Marilla's shoulder.

"Can you tell me – what was the last thing I said to Anne?"

The Reaper sighed, but he flipped through another book (this time bearing the title "Matthew Cuthbert, A History") until he reached near the very end.

"You said: 'Well now, I'd rather have you than a dozen boys, Anne. Just mind you that – rather than a dozen boys. Well now, I guess it wasn't a boy that took the Avery scholarship, was it? It was a girl – my girl – my girl that I'm proud of."

Death looked at Matthew. "Well, a rather eloquent type you are, aren't you," said Death sarcastically, managing to turn and wipe away a tear before he realized that his face was hidden anyway.

They stood in silence for a moment.

"I know I've never said a bad thing about Anne," ruminated Matthew. "But I had to know if she knew how much…Just to make sure that – that she understood." Matthew turned towards Death. "I'm ready to go now."

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Reviews are always appreciated.


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